I Ain't Got Time to Bleed by Jesse Ventura

[rossallen]

I Ain't Got Time to Bleed by Jesse Ventura is the author's autobiography/political manifesto, detailing his rise from urban Minneapolis, to his time serving as a frogman in Vietnam, to his stardom as a bad-guy wrestler and radio personality, and finally to his inauguration day as governor of Minnesota.

Jesse Ventura holds no punches when it comes to describing the events of his life. Indeed, throughout the novel, there were many moments while reading this novel that would prove damning to any would-be politician. For example, his dismissal of drunk driving as being not that big of a deal back in the day, his candor in shamelessly admitting his past marijuana and steroid use, as well as the tale of how he lost his virginity, in addition to rendezvous he has had in the past with prostitutes are very jarring to read at first, but it's his blunt honesty in retelling these events that make the book so very captivating.

This book is also interesting for those would-be political scientists. Jesse Ventura does a great job of describing his rise from obscure third-party politician to the eventual independent governor of Minnesota. He does so by enriching the reading audience with stories of how the political establishment tried to curtail his rise by utilizing underhanded tactics to turn the people against him, such as issuing letters of opposition against him and by trying to prevent him from getting access to the debates. He also details at length some of his political philosophies and his goals for the state of Minnesota. This is another part of the book that proved to be rather jarring to read. It's not every day that a politician advocates the legalization of prostitution and all drugs, but this book is the exception. Again, Jesse's honesty in dealing with these issues guarantees a fun read throughout.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I've read other political memoirs in the past, but this one by far takes the cake. Other political manifestos often give very politically correct answers to troubling problems facing our nation. Not so with Jesse Ventura. What you see is what you get. For this reason, I would give I Ain't Got Time to Bleed 4.5 out of 5 stars, as this book is very interesting, if not simply written for the layman.